Unable to buy a new car without a GPS Tracker?

PrincessPeach92 said:
Hi guys, in the process of buying a new car but ran into a snag. They tried selling me a Cartrack "GPS Tracker" that is preinstalled and cannot be opted out of, removed or uninstalled.

I had just recently watched this video;


So this was fresh in my mind. I understand why dealers and banks need to track their cars, but surely once I take ownership it is my car and not theirs? I am not financing, I am a cash buyer, so it's not like I can run away with the car either.

The cynic in me believes that these tracking devices are never truly turned off, and even if you cancel or don't want it, your driving data is harvested and sold, just like all your data on your smartphones, apps etc.

I also checked on Hellopeter and there are a few people complaining that the GPS Trackers are draining their car battery.

I just find this so odd, that I don't have a choice.

So if you guys know if this is standard practise? Can you buy any new car at all without a GPS tracker?
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They have a deal with tracker to do all cars on the lot that's why ,nothing sinister ,it's a scam to make money for tracker .or a value added service if you like ,2 wires and it's out .
 
epah said:
This is very common in this day and age. Rather ask them to remove it before delivery. but they may charge you to take it off.
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thanks, i guess i sounded a bit weird asking where it is situated. But its because I wanted to know if its in the OBD2 port lol. Sigh I guess I just have to accept it.
 
soulie said:
No dealer can dictate to you what you must fit ,if it's factory installed (never heard of that yet )then nothing you can do ,once it leaves the dealer your insurance company dictates what must be fitted according to VESA specs ,if you refuse it ,your excess will be higher .that's a US video and is not applicable in SA,also most GPS units have there own battery or pull minimal current so very little chance of flattening the battery under normal circumstances .
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Thanks, well if its not gonna affect the battery of the car, I am less concerned.
The principle of it still doesn't sit well with me. I feel like I should be able to decide and my driving data is probably being sold to someone/fed into an algorithm along with millions others to decide where to build the next Starbucks.
But I guess that is just how life is these days.
 
PrincessPeach92 said:
thanks, i guess i sounded a bit weird asking where it is situated. But its because I wanted to know if its in the OBD2 port lol. Sigh I guess I just have to accept it.
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Find out if your insurance requires it ,you may get a reduced premium ,it will be a basic unit that only puts out a signal if pinged by tracking company ,
 
PrincessPeach92 said:
Thanks, well if its not gonna affect the battery of the car, I am less concerned.
The principle of it still doesn't sit well with me. I feel like I should be able to decide and my driving data is probably being sold to someone/fed into an algorithm along with millions others to decide where to build the next Starbucks.
But I guess that is just how life is these days.
Click to expand...
They don't track and store your movements ,it's illegal to do that ,these days with a new car it's 50/50 ,if stolen do you really want it back .delivery vehicle yes definitely.
 
PrincessPeach92 said:
Thanks, the car is half a mill, but I assume to them that's probably not a lot. So they likely won't care.
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Thinking about it now, it may be a tracking unit that is used by the manufacturer, I heard that Toyota does this to monitor cars before they are sold due to the rampant theft of Toyota's. Anyway, see if you can get them to remove it or ask the tracking company if they would do it before you sign the purchase agreement.
 
Neuk_ said:
Thinking about it now, it may be a tracking unit that is used by the manufacturer, I heard that Toyota does this to monitor cars before they are sold due to the rampant theft of Toyota's. Anyway, see if you can get them to remove it or ask the tracking company if they would do it before you sign the purchase agreement.
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They are installed at dealership level, its much easier, quicker and cost effective for a technician to go to the lot and install the trackers on 100 cars that are parked there(all in one go) instead of having to drive to 100 different client addresses to install them after the cars have been sold.

Now whether the tracker is activated or not is the buyers choice.
 
PrincessPeach92 said:
Thanks, well if its not gonna affect the battery of the car, I am less concerned.
The principle of it still doesn't sit well with me. I feel like I should be able to decide and my driving data is probably being sold to someone/fed into an algorithm along with millions others to decide where to build the next Starbucks.
But I guess that is just how life is these days.
Click to expand...
I assume someone has access to all my data..

I just dont care anymore move on dont want it live off grid in the middle of nowhere :P

1721837235848.gif
 
PrincessPeach92 said:
Hi guys, in the process of buying a new car but ran into a snag. They tried selling me a Cartrack "GPS Tracker" that is preinstalled and cannot be opted out of, removed or uninstalled.

I had just recently watched this video;


So this was fresh in my mind. I understand why dealers and banks need to track their cars, but surely once I take ownership it is my car and not theirs? I am not financing, I am a cash buyer, so it's not like I can run away with the car either.

The cynic in me believes that these tracking devices are never truly turned off, and even if you cancel or don't want it, your driving data is harvested and sold, just like all your data on your smartphones, apps etc.

I also checked on Hellopeter and there are a few people complaining that the GPS Trackers are draining their car battery.

I just find this so odd, that I don't have a choice.

So if you guys know if this is standard practise? Can you buy any new car at all without a GPS tracker?
Click to expand...
Most insurers will not look at a vehicle these days without a tracking device in this country.

And the ones who do let you go without one, will collect their risk in excess or installments etc.

The reason they're being installed in cars before sale is because it makes it faster for the buyer you don't have to wait for installation.

As for being tracked, relax. There's far more than required information about you being collected if someone wants to track you. The tracker in your car is the least of your worries :)
 
epah said:
They are installed at dealership level, its much easier, quicker and cost effective for a technician to go to the lot and install the trackers on 100 cars that are parked there(all in one go) instead of having to drive to 100 different client addresses to install them after the cars have been sold.

Now whether the tracker is activated or not is the buyers choice.
Click to expand...

Sure, no doubt, I know Toyota does it at factory for the SA market simply because of their theft issues.
 
PrincessPeach92 said:
Thanks, well if its not gonna affect the battery of the car, I am less concerned.
The principle of it still doesn't sit well with me. I feel like I should be able to decide and my driving data is probably being sold to someone/fed into an algorithm along with millions others to decide where to build the next Starbucks.
But I guess that is just how life is these days.
Click to expand...
Have you phoned another branch of this company for the same vehicle and asked if it had a tracker in?
 
Neuk_ said:
Sure, no doubt, I know Toyota does it at factory for the SA market simply because of their theft issues.
Click to expand...
Indeed they do fit, but does device is also hotspot internet device for the car, so that you have wifi inside the car.
 
soulie said:
if stolen do you really want it back
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You DO NOT want it back

1. You rather get paid out retail if you insured it for retail (i.e. more than selling it, where you are lucky to get trade)
2. The car is permanently marked as S&R (stolen and recovered) on Natis i.e. similar to code 3, you will have trouble selling it for fair value down the line. They usually end up at SMD auctions with smashed cars.

Number 2 is why many people opt to NOT open a case when their stolen car is recovered and they prefer to keep it.

@THE OP just find another dealer.

This is exactly how the guy in the article from 2 hours ago got rich. Not mentioned in the article was dodgy dealings with dealerships for "factory" installed trackers which they get a kickback from.

mybroadband.co.za

A billion-dollar South African tech empire built from R100

With a R100 in his pocket and lucrative reseller agreements with Vodacom and MTN, a South African built a multi-national technology empire.
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za

"Tech empire" my a$$. Paid advertorial.
 
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Neuk_ said:
Sure, no doubt, I know Toyota does it at factory for the SA market simply because of their theft issues.
Click to expand...
Not sure if it's all Toyota models fitted as the Hilux our company bought last year was not pre-installed, but the Hino 300 was.
 
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